Contents

Description

Fountain of Magical Brethren.

"Halfway down the hall was a fountain. A group of golden statues, larger than life-size, stood in the middle of a circular pool. Tallest of them all was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointing straight up in the air. Grouped around him were a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. The last three were all looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard. Glittering jets of water were flying from the ends of the two wands, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and each of the house-elf's ears, so that the tinkling hiss of falling water was added to the pops and cracks of Apparators and the clatter of footsteps as hundreds of witches and wizards, most of whom were wearing glum, early-morning looks, strode toward a set of golden gates at the far end of the hall."

The fountain was located halfway down the hall of the Atrium, on level 8 of the Ministry. The large golden statues are located in the middle of the pool, and the tallest of them all was a wizard with a wand pointing straight into the air. Around this statue were statues of a witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. Jets of water came from the ends of the two wands, the centaurs arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and each of the house-elf's ears. All proceeds from the fountain were given to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

Messages of the Fountain

The Fountain of Magical Brethren

The witch and wizard are the two focal points of the fountain, with the other, "lower" beings looking up in "awe and adoration." This is very unrealistic, as centaurs and goblins consider themselves superior to wizards and witches. House-elves, on the other hand, have no other joy in life other than to be in the service of wizards. The fountain supposedly represented harmony in the wizarding world, although Albus Dumbledore thought otherwise.

Battle of the Department of Mysteries

During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996, much of the Atrium was heavily damaged. The floor was gouged and pocketed, the security booth was burned, and most of the fountain was destroyed, although the goblin and the house-elf figures survived. After the fall of the Ministry in 1997, the fountain was temporarily replaced by the Magic is Might monument, a dark statue of a wizard and a witch sitting atop enormous thrones made of naked Muggles. It was presumably restored to its original form after the death of Lord Voldemort in 1998, though it is also possible it was replaced by a new statue once the Ministry was reformed.

Behind the scenes

Unlike the books, in the films the fountain contains the witch, the centaur, the house-elf and the goblin while a gigantic statue of the wizard stands on a pedestal further into the Atrium.